Sandstone statue of Paser

From Abu Simbel,
Egypt19th Dynasty, around 1250
BC

A viceroy of Nubia presenting an altar to the
god Amun

This statue was discovered by Giovanni Belzoni
in the area of the Temple of Abu Simbel in 1817. It shows Paser, a
viceroy of Nubia during the reign of Ramesses II (1279-1213 BC). He
is holding an offering table on which is placed the head of a ram,
an animal sacred to the god
Amun.
The viceroy of Nubia was responsible for Egyptian concerns there,
and in charge of military campaigns. It is reasonable to assume
that Paser set this statue up as a
votive
offering to Amun while on duty in Nubia; Amun
is one of the deities worshipped at Abu
Simbel.

The execution of
the statue is interesting. The facial features are rather roughly
carved, and do not reach the high standards which are typical of
the best sculptures of Ramesses' reign. The type of
sandstone is a variant of a native Nubian stone, and it is possible
that this statue was carved in a local Nubian workshop, to which
Paser had easy access.

The
British Museum has the granite lid of the
sarcophagus
of Setjau, another viceroy of the same reign.

G. Belzoni, Narrative of the operations an (London, John Murray, 1822)